1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to non-cash media which is dispensed to a user, and more particularly to non-cash media which has value, and which is dispensed to a user through an automatic teller machine.
2. Description of Related Art
Automated teller machines (ATM's) were introduced in the mid 70's. These are machines which dispense cash to a user, typically after the user inserts a card with electronically encoded information, such as name and account number. The value of the cash dispensed is deducted from one of the user's bank accounts and shows up on his bank statement. Currently, ATM's can be found in the lobbies of banks, in drive-through installations, in malls, in gas stations, in grocery stores, in airports, and in any place where a customer may need to obtain cash.
It is common that ATM's also dispense certain non-cash documents, such as receipts, or information about a client's account balance. These documents are printed within the machine upon demand, and are typically produced and presented through a separate delivery slot than the cash which is presented to customers.
There are also specialized non-ATM machines presently available for use by consumers which dispenses such objects as stamps, or in other configurations, phone cards which entitle the user to a certain monetary value of phone transactions. These machines are configured to dispense a particular item, either stamps, phone cards, or other types of output. Because of their specialized function, it is impractical to offer to the customer a wide selection of cards dispensed from these machines, nor is cash dispensed from these machines, as an ATM does. What is needed is a card which may be dispensed from an ATM machine which has value to the user and which is selectable by the user through an ATM interface. Cards which may be dispensed and which have value could include admission tickets to events or locations, cards with encoded memories, such as phone cards or gas cards, cards with computer chips with encoded memory, collectable cards, cards with punch outs for goods or services, bar codes, cards redeemable for goods and services, or any other card like instrument which has value to the consumer. To be dispensable from ATM machines, the card would have dimensions and characteristics which correspond to the parameters of the ATM machine. From such an ATM dispensable card, one configuration could contain a credit card-size card which could be removable from the ATM dispensable card. The credit card size card could be a pass to an event, or contain encoded memory information, or be any of the previously listed embodiments of the card. If it contained encoded memory information, this card could be updated with new memory information, which could augment the value remaining on the card. Since the dispensed card could be the size of the currency dispensed by that particular ATM machine, and a smaller card would be removable from the currency-sized card, the dispensable card presents the opportunity for advertising, instructions, or other information to be presented to the user.
Accordingly, this invention provides a non-cash media card for use in ATM machines which is dispensable by the same apparatus which dispenses cash from ATM machines. It is a further object of the invention to provide a process for dispensing the non-cash media cards from an ATM machine through the same apparatus which dispenses cash.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description as follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.